Safety-catch for jewelry.



W. DURAND.

SAFETY CATCH FOR JEWELRY.

APPLICATION nLEp JULY 20, 1912.

1,071,21 7, Patented Aug. 26, 1913.

WITN ES ES: INVENTOR cnwMlnA PLANOQRAN! cc., WASHING c.

WALLACE DURAND, OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY.

SAFETY-CATCH FOR JEWELRY.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 26,1913.

Application filed July 20, 1912. Serial No. 710,555.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WVALLAon DURAND, a citizen of the United States, residing at Newark, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Safety-Catches for Jewelry; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactde scription of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, and to figures of reference marked thereon, which forms a part of this specification.

This invention relates to a safety catch for jewelry, and is particularly designed to provide a catch for holding the ends of necklaces, lavallieres, and the like, to prevent the separation of these articles of jewelry at the catch, the catch being so constructed that it must be manipulated previous to its separation, which separation entails two distinct operations, first, the releasing of a catch mechanism, and second, the unscrewing of the two members which comprise the catch.

The invention comprises two members which are adapted to be slid telescopically one within the other for a portion of their lengths, and then screwed together, the members having co-acting spring elements which snap into place to prevent reverse rotation of the screw-threaded portions unless the spring portion is first released by the person operating the catch.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which- Figure 1 is a side view of the catch. Fig. 2 is a vertical section thereof, and Fig. 3 is a top view of the inner member.

The catch comprises two members, the outer member 10 being formed on one end with an eye 11 for attaching it to an element, such as to the link on one end of a chain, the member 10 having one end open and having its inner end screw-threaded as at 12. The outer end of the member 10 is an annularly turned flange 13 which forms a projection. The screw-threaded portion is preferably provided with a flaring part 14 which assists in binding the inner member into place. The inner member is V- shaped and consists of two diverging arms 15 and 16, the first arm 15 having an eye 17 at one end for attaching it to an element, such as the other end of a chain, the pointed portion or apex of the arms of the V-shaped member being screw-threaded as shown at 18, the screw-threaded portion having a pointed and rounded end 19 to facilitate its being placed in the screw-threaded portion 12- at the inner end of the outer member. The second arm 16 is bent at its end into a finger-piece 20 which is preferably recessed as at 21 so as to provide a place for grasping with the finger-nail so as to squeeze the arms together. The juncture of the fingerpiece and the arm 16 is cut away so that a shoulder is formed providing a nose 22, the nose being adapted to snap on the inside of the projection 13 and bear against it so that the members can not be rotated in a reverse direction to unscrew the screw-threaded portions until after the spring arms are pushed toward each other to release the nose 22 from the projection 13.

When the catch is to be used, the V-shaped inner member is slid within the outer mem her, then the end 19 enters the screw-thread ed portion 12, and by rotating the two catch portions on each other, the screw-threaded portions 18 and 12 draw the members closer together, and at the same time the V-shaped arms are being forced together by reason of their entering farther and farther into the open end of the outer memben Then the members have been screwed together far enough, the nose 22 snaps behind the projection or flange 13 and the members are locked together against accidental separation. lVhen it is desired to undo the catch, the eye 17 and the finger-piece 20 are squeezed together by the fingers of one hand and the outer member 10 can then be rotated to unscrew the screwed portions of the members at least far enough to pass the nose 22 outside the projection 13, and then the members can be freely rotated on each other to complete the unscrewing operation of the two members.

It will be understood that I do not wish to limit myself to the exact construction shown, nor to the exact construction of the spring locking mechanism, and I also wish to be understood as not confining myself to the particular forms of fastening the catch to elements, as illustrated by the eyes 11 and 17.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is 2-- 1. A safety catch for jewelry comprising an outer member screw-threaded on its interior at its inner end, a V-shaped inner member having its pointed end screw-threaded and adapted to be screwed on the lnner end;

of the outer member, the V-shaped portion of the inner member having a spring 210- tion, one of the diverging arms of the V- shaped member having means thereon tor securlng the catch to an element, and co-.

of the V being screwthreaded to engage the screw-threaded end of the outer member, a projection on the outer member, and a nose on one of the arms of the V shaped member and adapted to engage the projection of the outer member to lock the members against reverse rotation.

'3. A safety catch comprising an outer member having an interior screw-thread on one end, a V-shaped member having diverging spring arms, the point of the V-shaped a projection on the outer member against 5 which :the :nose is adapted to snap to lock the members against reverse rotatlon.

4. A safety catch comprising an outer member having an interior screw-thread on one end, a V-shaped member having diverg- 40 ing spring arms, the point of the 'Vsha ped member being screw-threaded, one of the diverging arms having an eye for attaching the member to an element, the second -.diverging arm having its end bent to form afinger-piece, a nose on the second arm, and an annular projection on the outer end of the outer member against which the nose of the second arm is adapted to snap to lock the members against reverse rotation.

In testimony, that I claim the foregoing, I have hereunto set my hand this 17th day of July 1912.

WALLACE DURAND.

Witnesses:

VVM. H. 'CAMFIELD, M. A. JOHNSON.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. 0. 

